


My heart is full, and my door's always open

by isleysister



Series: Loud Places [5]
Category: Still Star-Crossed (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Music, F/M, Fluff, Karaoke, maroon 5's inspired she will be loved, ssc anniversary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-16 23:57:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14821368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isleysister/pseuds/isleysister
Summary: Some drinks and karaoke make for an eventful night.





	My heart is full, and my door's always open

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, y'all I'm back from the dead. Shout out to anyone who's actually reading this a whole year after this show got canceled-gang gang and Happy SSC anniversary! The title of this fic is from-well...you know.

_Thank god for callbacks_ , Rosaline thought. If Mercutio hadn’t gotten that callback for Strangers in Stone, she’d be in a much more depressing situation this Saturday night. Thankfully, Mercutio had felt in the mood to celebrate so instead of eating a tub of cookie-dough ice cream and ranting on the phone to poor Livia for hours, she was twirling in the middle of the dance floor with Merc right by her side.

He was not ashamed to dance like an idiot and Rosaline felt herself give in to that urge as well. Merc was especially a fan of spinning her around and dramatically dipping her-perhaps he’d done it too many times, but Rosaline didn’t mind in the slightest.

“Capulet, keep up with me here!” Mercutio joked when she stumbled after one especially ambitious dip.  

Rosaline opened her mouth to yell a smart response back but was cut off when she heard the intro to the greatest song of all time.

“Single Ladies!” her and Mercutio screamed simultaneously.

A few minutes and a whole Beyoncé routine later, Rosaline was breathing hard, the burning in her lungs a welcome sensation. She had taken a seat at the bar for a break, while Mercutio walked around to “schmooze”.

As Rosaline took a sip of her drink, she wondered where the Montague had wandered off to. She was aware he too was in desperate need of a distraction after losing his bartending job a few days ago. She genuinely felt bad for him. Benvolio’s first few months of freedom from Damiano weren’t going as smoothly as he had so obviously hoped.

Rosaline almost spilled her drink when she felt a rough hand on her shoulder. She tensed and fixed her mouth to tell whoever it was that she wasn’t interested, but she stopped when she recognized those stormy eyes.

Benvolio’s white V-neck was now darkened with sweat and his damp hair was sticking to his forehead. He seemingly had lost his grumpy outlook from earlier and switched it out for being blissfully drunk if the slanted smile on his face was anything to go by. Rosaline had never seen the Montague smile so widely in her life. And if the sight of his goofy smile made her return an equally giddy one, then she’d blame the alcohol.  

“Capulet, I didn’t know you had moves like that!” Benvolio yelled with unwarranted glee.

_He’s definitely drunk_ , Rosaline concluded. She felt a surge of excitement run through her. Any opportunity to see Benvolio possibly embarrass himself was a welcome one indeed.

“What can I say, Montague? A girl’s gotta give it up for her Beyoncé,” Rosaline replied.

Benvolio nodded much too enthusiastically and then attempted to sit on the stool next to her-he barely managed it without falling over.

“Always surprising me,” he muttered under his breath as he finally got settled.

Rosaline rolled her eyes at the backhanded compliment. Before she could ask Benvolio where he had seen her dancing, she felt her phone buzz through her back pocket. Icy dread zipped through her at the sound. She proceeded to slowly pull the phone out, praying it wasn’t who she thought it was.

Rosaline’s heart sank when she read the contact name. Escalus.

**Escalus Princeton:**

Ros please, let’s talk about this.

           Another buzz.

**Escalus Princeton:**

I’m not ashamed of you.

           And another.

**Escalus Princeton:**

Please call me back.

Rosaline almost slammed her phone down on the bar table top out of her frustration. She groaned and put her head in her hands.

She had told Escalus,  _to his face_ , that she needed a break from him. That she needed to clear her head. And does he respect her wishes? No. He does the exact opposite. Of course, that was always the problem with Escalus. He didn’t care too much about what she wanted.

Rosaline banged her head on the table in her anguish, eliciting an equally worried and confused sound from Benvolio.

“It’s Escalus,” she explained, lifting her head up to face Benvolio.

Benvolio squinted and then lazily swiped his hands through the air, as if the motion itself could get rid of her problems.

“Capulet, this is no time for dwelling on our issues,” he said, leaning so close she could smell the tequila on him. “Tonight, we don’t get sad because we can’t hold down a job! We don’t even pout because our shitty exes won’t leave us the hell alone! Tonight, we only do one thing!”

Usually, Rosaline would be unamused by Benvolio’s lectures, but right now he was painfully drunk which made it much more tolerable, if not outright hilarious, so she played along.

Rosaline raised her eyebrows, prompting his response.

“And what is that?”

“We celebrate the renowned career of Mercutio!”

Rosaline laughed and rolled her eyes. Ben had a point. She had said she didn’t want to think about her and Escalus.

So, she won’t. She’ll celebrate her friend’s accomplishment instead (even though she hadn’t seen Mercutio for almost the last hour and usually if you lose Merc for that long, you won’t see him again till the morning.)

Rosaline gave Benvolio a pat on the back for his passionate-yet-plastered speech and called for the bartender.

“2 Mind Eraser shots, please!” she said.

Benvolio gave her an amused look, his eyes widening in surprise at the bold order.

“Seemed appropriate for tonight,” she said with a shrug.

The bartender returned shortly with the drinks and Rosaline slid one over to Benvolio.

She raised her glass in the air and ignored Benvolio’s scoff. “To Mercutio!”

Benvolio picked up his glass and knocked it against hers with a satisfying clink.

“The greatest actor of our generation!” Benvolio conceded with a proud grin.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rosaline didn’t know much right now. She didn’t know where Mercutio had snuck off to during the party. She didn’t know what time it was. Or where she’d left her heels.

She did know that she had crossed the point of slightly tipsy and made it over to kinda drunk. And that she and Ben were one of the few people in attendance at a run-down karaoke joint called  _Beats and Eats_. The  _whys_  and  _hows_  of this situation still escaped her.

Her and Benvolio sat at a small table near the sadly decorated stage. A few flimsy pink streamers were draped over it, with a dimly lit neon sign that read “Groovy” hanged on the back wall. The place was relatively quiet for a karaoke bar, and it looked like no one had any plans to sing anytime soon.

Rosaline tore her eyes from the drab appearance of the stage towards Ben who had an absent smile on his face.

“Benvolio Montague,” Rosaline drawled out, with her head in her hands. She had barely finished saying his name before he began to break out into giggles, even though she wasn’t sure what was so funny.

Still, Benvolio grinned happily back at her, as if his name was truly the funniest joke he’d ever heard. It was endearing really. His shirt was rumpled, and his hair was curling up every which way. Usually, he was an irritable mess. Now he was just an adorable one.

“Rosaline Capulet?” Benvolio replied. He laughed, and the warm sound traveled straight down Rosaline’s spine.

Man. She was really starting to feel those few shots.

“I dare you to go up there and sing me a song,” she said, jutting her chin towards the stage. “I’m tired of singing for you and Merc all the time. Your turn, Montague.”

She expected a funny quip back but was instead given a slow nod.

“Okay,” Ben said simply as he got out of his chair. “Capulet, I may end up giving you a run for your money. That 8 pm Music Monday slot at Shara’s Coffee might just be mine soon.”

_Well someone’s confident_ , Rosaline thought while Benvolio made his way to the stage.

Ben grabbed the mic too forcefully, causing a ringing sound to echo in the room. The sharp noise made Rosaline cringe and a few customers spewed some choice words.

He looked around meekly and whispered a sorry into the mic, making Rosaline chuckle.

She threw him a thumbs up for encouragement. He was off to a great start.

Ben smiled back at her, suddenly reassured, before heading over to the machine to select his song. He quickly picked one with the press of a button and turned back to face the small crowd.

“This is a little throwback for you, Capulet,” Benvolio said as he returned to the center of the stage.  He had a sly look on his face. A look Rosaline had seen many times in the past, usually right before pulling some elaborate prank with Romeo and Mercutio. That couldn’t be a good sign. Rosaline braced herself for the stupidity.

A few light notes began to play out of the speaker before Rosaline’s face soured with recognition. Benvolio saw her realization and nodded his head slowly, his smile grew impossibly wider.

She flipped him off. Ben laughed. Then he put his mouth much too close to the mic and began to sing:

_Beauty queen of only eighteen, she had some trouble with herself_ _  
He was always there to help her, she always belonged to someone else_

He began passionately pointing his finger at her while he sang the bridge:  
_I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door_ _  
I've had you so many times, but somehow, I want more!_

“I hate you,” she mouthed to Benvolio as he continued to sing horribly off key.

He lamely played the air-drums and spun around as he moved into the train wreck of a chorus that Rosaline knew was coming:

_I don’t mind spending everyday_

_Out on your corner in the pouring rain!_

_Look for the girl with the broken smile_

_Ask her if she wants to stay awhile._

_And she will be loved!_

_And she will be loved!_

Benvolio continued to sing without a care in the world (or any regard for hitting the notes). He danced off the stage to get closer to Rosaline. He was put to a stop though when the short cord to the microphone yanked him back, almost making him fall. Rosaline’s annoyance subsided immediately, and she threw head back, laughing loudly at his failure.

Benvolio himself began cracking up, barely managing to get out the words anymore. He bent over with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath and sing at the same time. The song was ending by the time Benvolio sobered up.

The 3 other people in the bar clapped hesitantly, most likely confused by what they’d just witnessed. Rosaline didn’t blame them. That didn’t stop her from clapping and cheering as loudly as possible though.

Benvolio took an exaggerated bow and put the mic back on the stand. He jumped down from the stage, holding his arms out to Rosaline, silently asking how he’d done.

Rosaline answered him by getting up and walking towards the exit.

“Thank you, Benvolio,” she said. She looked at him over her shoulder as she headed out the door. “For making it very clear that you never let anything go and that we need to find an Uber.”

“So, I was that bad, huh?” he asked. His face showed no signs of shame though. His mouth was curled up in a bright smile, a playful look in his eyes. Rosaline’s heart beat a little bit faster when she noticed a small dimple in his cheek form.

They made their way outside. Ben rested his head on Rosaline’s shoulder as they waited on the curb. She didn’t bother pushing him off. It was cold. She needed the warmth.

The Uber arrived a few minutes later and they both crawled in the back. She found herself pressed up against his side, not an inch of space between them. Neither one of them made any move to scoot over.

Ben gave the driver their address and moved his head to look out the window at the city lights. Rosaline also found herself turning her head in that direction, but she wasn’t looking at the lights. Rather, she was looking at how the lights looked while they shined on Ben’s face. The angle of his jaw and purse of his lips in glowing pinks and oranges sent a shiver through her. The word beautiful sat on Rosaline’s tongue but it felt wrong to say out loud. This was  _Benvolio Montague_  she was talking about.

It’s not that Rosaline wasn’t aware Ben was good looking. She had seen him charm too many girls for her to be that obtuse. She’d even caught herself admiring him herself in high school in those fleeting moments they were alone. But that was so long ago. And this felt…different.  

Rosaline would’ve blamed it all on the alcohol if she wasn’t so sure that she was sobering up right now. And she also couldn’t deny that tonight had been fun- and it was mainly because  _Benvolio_  was there with her.

Benvolio let the driver know they were coming up on their apartment. Rosaline tried to get control of her wandering thoughts. It was late, and she was tired. She just needed to get to bed.

They thanked the driver and entered the building. Rosaline climbed the steps in silence, unsure of what would happen if she let herself speak.

Finally, they reached their floor. Rosaline walked to her door and made to grab her keys but stopped when she felt Benvolio’s hand on hers.

“Rosaline,” he said. His voice was the quietest it had been all night. “Thank you. For tonight. I know I’m not your first choice for someone to hang out with, but…”

He shook his head and didn’t finish his sentence. He scratched the back of his neck and licked his lips. She desperately tried to keep her eyes on his.

“Thank you for being my friend tonight,” he finally said. His eyes were full of sincerity that made her chest ache.

“Thank you for being mine,” she whispered back. She suddenly realized how close they had gotten. So close she could feel him exhale as her eyes betrayed her and fluttered to his lips.

A surge of pure want ran through Rosaline as she surged forward and pressed her lips to his. For a small, terrifying second, Ben froze but he quickly recovered. His lips swiftly melted against hers, warm and soft. His hands came up to cup her face and sparks shot up and down her body. She hummed with content as she pressed her hands against his solid chest.

Then all too soon, the kiss ended, and they pulled back from each other. She was breathing hard, her heart beating against her chest.

She considered Ben at that moment, under the dim hallway lights. Benvolio, the man who had his own problems and could’ve gone anywhere else tonight to forget them, but instead spent it cheering her up. The man who had become her closest friend again in a matter of months, after almost 2 bitter years apart.

“Come inside,” Rosaline said as she pressed her lips against his again.

Benvolio pressed his forehead against hers and breathed in. “Okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> Tbh it's been great but I don't think I'll be writing anymore for this show-my muse has turned to other projects (this means no more generating NEW ideas...you never know, I might have some B-sides or snippets to post so I can officially finish this series off and make it a coherent piece of work that I can finally feel satisfied with it.)  
> Thanks, everyone for all the comments and kudos, you're all wonderful. This was my first time writing fic for anything and it was so fun and I thank all of your guy's encouragement. God bless.


End file.
